So the goalie has been pulled and now we just needed a referee to help determine a win. It was just a little over a year ago when we got our Big Fat Positive (BFP). I remember it so well. We just made it through the 4th of July weekend with me telling everyone that I was training for a race...hence me drinking iced tea and passing on the beer. I have been known to take a break from alcohol for such running events. But the real reason was because we didn't know whether or not I was pregnant. My body, just like the rest of me, was being stubborn. I wasn't reaching for the Kotex, however I wasn't getting a BFP either. I would test every day, and each day...Nothin. Yeah right First Response - can test 5 days before your missed period. Not for me!!
But finally, on a Tuesday, I was working from home and did a test first thing in the morning (like they suggest)....Nothing. But I then had a urge to test again in the afternoon. Since I was testing every day for over a week, I had given up sitting there watching the stick turn pink or lack there of. Instead, I would walk away to do a little something and come back. And so I walked back into the bathroom and...wait for it...wait for it...POSITIVE! The Big Fat Positive. At this point we had moved to the store brand pregnancy tests so I needed a little more reassurance. So I drove my little self to nearest King Soopers and decided to go with the test that can test 5 days earlier than your missed period and bought a pack of First Response pregnancy kits. First test....Positive. Second test...positive. Third test....still positive. Not sure why I took three. Guess you just never know.

I waited an hour until Ryan came home. I thought of all kinds of cute ways to tell him. I would give him a "proud Daddy" shirt. Write "we're expecting" or "Baby Kat or Baby Gator Guy" on my belly. Put a sign on our lab, Callaway, saying - "I'm going to be a big sister". But really when he walked through the garage door I couldn't even say anything. All I could do is hand him the 3 positive tests. He threw up his arms just like he was in celebration of reaching the endzone. SCORE!! And that he did. So here's to our Mile High Salute! Go team Gapp.

Yes it is true. I created and followed such a plan. The plan was no "Holiday Baby" for me. What is a Holiday Baby??...A baby who is born too close to the hustle and bustle of the Holiday season. This meant that we took a pause from Full Force Operation TTC from March-April. And yes I know that Christmas only happens in December, but I was also VERY convinced that I would deliver early and therefore the larger window of the No Holiday Baby Plan.

Did I do this because I did not want my baby in a red and green bow? No. It's because I'm a complete control freak. Remember my previous post where I admit that I am the Head Coach. Well the Head Coach sets up the season and decides what games to play. So yes...head coach and a control freak. My reasoning - My birthday is just before Christmas and Ryan's is just after. Growing up - it was a pain. And now as grown adults - still a pain. Trying to get together with family to celebrate is always a challenge and I thought adding one more into the mix would just be too much. And so, we may not have control on a lot of aspects like morning sickness, charlie horses, and when I would deliver. But when his birthday is...or when it is not....done!

Let's talk about You and Me. Let's talk about all the good things and the bad things, that may be. (Gotta love me some Salt-n-Pepa) "Trying To Conceive"...or to moms, moms-to-be, or just girlfriends with babies on the brain it is known as TTC. And let's just say that TTC is a big decision. Huge. Its the decision to Pull the Goalie. Hockey fans know that the goalie is pulled at the end of the game to help the team have a higher chance of scoring. Up to this point you have just been having a good time and trying out new plays. (wink wink) But now...its down to business and Pulling the Goalie is the best shot you've got. (And Yes we all know goals can be scored with the goalie present)

So what was your game like just before making the big pull? Did you decide that the last period would be spent traveling to Europe? Did you decide that you should manage the game of having a dog, carrying plastic bags on walks, and forever vacuuming up hair before you Pulled the Goalie? Did you decide to buy the house with that extra bedroom you will use for your "guests", even though all along you know it will be the baby's room because let's be honest...the only "guests" you have are your drunk friends that can't drive home after a night of beer pong.
For us, it was the house, guest room, dog, and running a marathon. I don't know if it is was because I wanted that last challenge to see if I could do it, wanted to know what it would be like to put myself through 26.2 miles of pain, or if I was secretly getting my body in the best shape ever before gaining the 50 plus pounds for the babe. Either way, it was something I needed to cross of my list. You play The Game of the first few years of your marriage, and then move to the finals with the big boys!

All the good things
Now do we really need to go into the details about all the good things? I'm pretty sure any guy can tell you about that. I think even my dearest hubby mentioned to one of our friends that he really enjoyed "practicing". So its pretty obvious what makes the pro list here.

The bad things
First of all, us girls were trained to pray for that monthly reminder each month and now you are praying for it NOT to come. Quite the change I must say. And I'm not going to lie...even if you just Pulled the Goalie, but are not in Full Force Operation TTC, you still get a little bummed when you first feel cramps, bloating, and headaches that any other time would have annoyed the hell out of you. And when it continues month after month during Full Force Operation TTC...you start to feel sad and then you start to feel like a failure. A failure of a woman. For us, it wasn't as long as some couples I know, but when you are in Full Force Operation TTC it consumes your every day thought. Even Ryan started to think that maybe his swimmers weren't swimmers at all and still learning the Chicken-bird-soldier. It messes with your mind.

My advice (given to me by my sister-in-law)...get an ovulation kit, or use another method to test for the best possible time. That way it takes the guessing game out of the way. Yes "trying" can be fun. But it can also feel like a job, especially month after month. And even though some swear by just trying it out every day or every other day, I say, "You Crazy Girl". I like to be in control, know what is going on, and the kit tells me when I'm ready.
Some of you may read this and think, what the heck are you talking about. You may have not even officially decided to Pull the Goalie and your scoring was successful. Or, like one of my GFs, you might have Pulled the Goalie, scored, and won the game all in just a couple of weeks. But just know that it can be very stressful and can wear on you. So warn your husbands that this is really the start of all the hormonal craziness. Even though the actual pregnancy hormones are not raging yet (oh just you wait), just having the "babies-on-the-brain" hormone is a big enough trigger for us women to get a little crazy. But trust me, winning that trophy at the end is all worth it, even if it means it is a trophy of poopy diapers and sleepless nights....is it soooo worth it.

I first found my love for apple juice last October when that became my #1 pregnancy craving at the time. I just couldn't get enough. And luckily, the Fall brings great drinks like apple cider and apple chi tea. However, I deeply fell in love with "Simply Apple Juice". Just as the commercials say, it is not the apple juice you grew up drinking. This actually tastes like someone dumped Delicious Reds and Granny Smiths into a high powered Jack LaLanne juicer and then added a magic touch. Seriously, head out to your nearest King Soopers and pick some up.

But this week, I thank the creators of Apple Juice yet again. Poor Mr. T (who is 15 weeks old now...getting to be such a big boy!) suffered from horrible constipation. And if you have experienced this with a little one, you know that it just breaks your heart to see them struggle and give you a look that says, "Help me Mama!!". Now for such a little delicate digestive system you have to take a different approach. You can't just take him to Taco Bell or Casa Bonita in hopes that the problem will be reversed. Thanks to my Mum, the Nurse Practitioner, and sister-in-law we started giving him 3 ounces of Gerber Apple Juice each day. And so far...Mr. T is back in the business of dirtying up those dipes. So thank you Apple Juice. Again...Thank You.